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Port Mann Bridge Construction Project

The original Port Mann Bridge was constructed from 1957 to 1964 and opened it’s four lanes to traffic in June of that year. Original estimates of vehicular crossings in 1964 were 13,000 trips per day. With the addition of an HOV lane in 2001, The Port Mann’s vehicular crossings exceeded 127,000 trips per day in 2010. The bridge became over worked and became a choke point for the flow of goods and services for the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley markets.

On January 31, 2006 the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation introduced the Gateway Highway Expansion Program as a means to address growing congestion. The project originally envisioned twinning the Port Mann Bridge by building a second bridge adjacent to it but the project has been changed to building a 10-lane replacement bridge, claimed to be the widest in Canada, and demolishing the original bridge. The PMH1 project adds another HOV lane and provides cycling access. The plan also calls for re-introduced bus service to the Port Mann Bridge for the first time in over 20 years.

Crucial in it’s Post Tension design is the use of tensioned strands which “cinch” together the structure once erected. Even more crucial is the selection of the Post Tension Grout to be utilized in the encasement of the strands to ensure no corrosion occurs, thereby weakening the support. With this in mind, Peter Kiewit/Flatiron Consortium Group put out Tenders for the supply of a premium Post Tension Grout.

The Bidding for the supply of this grout was intense as suppliers across North America vied to be awarded this contract. Kiewit/Flatiron conducted many tests and stringently evaluated all products and the overwhelming winner was Target’s 1121 Post Tension Cable Duct Grout. To date, Target’s 1121 Cable Duct Grout has performed beyond expectations often allowing for faster grouting of the long Post Tension Ducts.